X-Message-Number: 27834
References: <>
From: Kennita Watson <>
Subject: Naut-y, naut-y! (was: Re: Gnosticism aGain)
Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2006 11:30:23 -0700

Bad boy, getting me started on words!

"Astronaut" is in my dictionary (the Office Edition of the
Third Edition American Heritage, FWIW), and so is "aeronaut",
and neither involves water.  The word "navigate" means
"to make one's way through" even when there is no water,
(even though it comes from "navis", the Latin word for
"ship"); and "nautical" means "of or characterized by
ships... or navigation".

The prefix "astro-" means "outer space", from the Greek
"astron", "star".  Our Sun is nearby, but it counts as a
star (celestial body), so strictly speaking our "lunanauts"
weren't in outer space, and when they head for Mars, I
guess they actually will be "planetonauts", but at least
they are heading *towards* the stars.  Cut folks a break.

I suppose we may actually be astronauts in one sense when
we start using solar sails, since we'll be sailing using a
star in the same sense that aeronauts sail using air.
Similarly, a cryonaut would be sailing using cold, in this
instance through time rather than space.  Works for me.
Trips off the tongue better than "cryonicist", anyway
(somehow my brain comes up with "cryonisissy" when I hear
it, but that's just me, I guess).

That said, "cryonicist" fits with more than one of the
senses of "-ist" as it appears in my dictionary, whereas
an "astronicist" would be someone who specializes in,
adheres to, advocates, performs, produces, or is
characterized by "astronics".  At least we made up the
word "cryonics" already, so "cryonicist" has a place to
fit, but I never heard "astronics" before.

I tend to say "I'm signed up for cryonics", because no
matter what other term I use, I'll end up having to
explain what "cryonics" means, and nesting explanations
stands more chance of eliciting glazed eyes.  "Cryonaut"
would make a better T-shirt, though, and "Cryonicist"
would make a better business card (IMHO, of course).
Heck, other professions and interests have multiple
names for themselves; why can't we?

Live long and prosper,
Kennita

On Apr 10, 2006, at 2:00 AM, Flavonoid wrote:

>> Cryonaut means pioneer.
>
> Hm.  I bet you were actually thinking about that word  
> "Cryoneer" (shudder)
> that some Crack Pot here once suggested.  That was even worse, but
> "cryonaut" isn't much better.
>
>> I guest you call astronauts
> "astronicists". Now that is goofy.
>
> Actually I'm trying to help save the world from a stupid mistake  
> similar to
> that one, re: cryonics.  There is no such thing as an "astronaut" and
> "astronicist" has no meaning in real time/space.  "Lunanauts" is  
> about all
> we have seen for real so far.  You can call them "lunaticists" or  
> even a
> related word I won't mention, if you wish.  But even "lunanaut" sounds
> goofy, because there isn't much water up there to wade thru.

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